March 23, 2005
Marketing Initiatives Receive Addy Awards
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ creative efforts to educate the public and promote and market Florida agricultural products have been recognized with top honors from the professional advertising community.
The Addy Awards -- which recognize excellence in originality and creative strategy in print and electronic media -- were presented to the Department by the Greater Tallahassee Advertising Federation during the group’s annual awards ceremony on February 25. The Department received one Gold award and seven Silver awards.
“Our Department’s Division of Marketing and Development works in partnership with segments of our state’s agricultural community to promote Florida agriculture products in this country and abroad,” Commissioner Bronson said. “These marketing and advertising services are key to keeping Florida agriculture competitive in the global marketplace. This, in turn, benefits Florida’s economy.”
The Department’s eight winning entries:
-- Florida State Fair Campaign. The Gold Addy was awarded for a series of three 30-second television commercials promoting the Florida State Fair in 2004, which was the event’s 100th anniversary. The three spots featured a turn-of-the-century theme with animated characters touting various aspects of the State Fair, including the food, rides, agricultural exhibits, and entertainment. The television spots were produced by the Department for the Florida State Fair Authority, which operates the fair. Since 1995, the Florida State Fair has been under the administration of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Commissioner of Agriculture appoints members to the fair’s 21‑person Board of Directors and selects an executive director. To view the television spots, click here: 1 2 3
-- Florida State Fair TV Spot. This entry, which consisted of a single 30-second television spot selected from the Florida State Fair campaign, received a Silver award. To view this television spot, click here.
-- 2004 Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Awards. This entry, composed of three video mini-documentaries and a program booklet, received a Silver award. The Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Awards have been presented annually by the Department since 1994 and spotlight the environmentally innovative farming practices of the state’s growers and ranchers. Nominees for the awards come from different parts of Florida’s agricultural industry, but they all share a commitment to protect and preserve Florida’s resources while continuing to provide agricultural products for society. The 2004 winners were: Blue Heron Groves, in Lakeland; M&B Products, Inc., in Tampa; and Stan Carter of McArthur Farms Inc., Citrus Division, in Port St. Lucie. To download a PDF version of the program booklet, click here (PDF). To view the videos, click here: 1 2 3
-- Florida Wild-Caught Shrimp Marketing Campaign. This entry received a Silver award. The marketing campaign consists of a television spot, two radio spots, point-of-purchase materials, a poster and brochures. This initiative came in response to the growing onslaught of imported shrimp that has nearly decimated Florida’s shrimp industry that for decades has contributed to the state’s economic well-being. Showing consumers the economic importance of Florida’s shrimp industry and encouraging them to ask for shrimp harvested in Florida waters are goals of this marketing campaign. To view the television spot, click here.
-- Florida Wild-Caught Shrimp Radio Spot. This entry, which consisted of a single radio spot selected from the Florida Wild-Caught Shrimp Campaign, received a Silver award. Produced by the Department for Florida’s shrimping industry, this 60-second radio spot uses upbeat big band music with original lyrics to tout the attributes of shrimp harvested in Florida’s coastal waters. To listen to the radio spot, click here.
-- African American Obesity and Diabetes Prevention Campaign. This entry received a Silver award. The campaign consists of three television spots, two radio spots, a brochure, and other printed materials. Obesity-related health problems affect African Americans at rates substantially higher than non-minorities. The public awareness campaign was developed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in conjunction with the Florida Caucus of Black State Legislators. It features wellness expert and media personality Donna Richardson Joyner in print and broadcast messages and at educational outreach events throughout Florida. Richardson Joyner is the star of more than two dozen fitness and aerobics videos, including the “Buns of Steel” series, and is the host of The Word Network’s “Sweating in the Spirit.” She is spokesperson for the American Heart Association and founder of StayFit Kids, a fitness program for inner-city youth, and is the wife of syndicated radio host Tom Joyner. To download a PDF version of the brochure, click here. To view the television spots, click here: 1 2 3
-- Moving Forward Together TV Spot. This 30-second television spot received a Silver award. The spot was produced in September 2004 in the wake of the four hurricanes that devastated Florida’s agriculture industry. The Department produced the television spot to help alleviate potential concerns that Florida agricultural products would be unavailable for an extended period. The Department has invested 15 years in building the “Fresh from Florida” name throughout the United States and abroad, and the TV spot was intended to keep the brand visible while Florida’s farmers rebuilt and replanted. To view the television spot, click here.
-- Florida Cuisine Cookbook. This entry received a Silver award. The 192-page Florida Cuisine Cookbook contains more than 200 recipes developed over the years by chefs with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In addition to recipes featuring Florida-grown agricultural products, the book contains: descriptions, storage and handling information for Florida tropical fruits, fin fish, shellfish and clams; a Florida produce seasonal availability chart; a map showing where various Florida crops are grown; a list of local community farmers’ markets where Florida-grown agricultural products can be purchased at the peak of seasonal freshness; and food safety tips. The recipes are available online at http://www.florida-agriculture.com/recipes.
“To receive such professional recognition is a great tribute to our Department’s employees who produced these creative marketing projects,” Bronson said. “It also is a tribute to those in Florida’s agriculture community who place their confidence in our efforts to promote their products and expand their markets.”
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is statutorily mandated to provide professional marketing services to Florida’s agricultural community through its Division of Marketing and Development. These marketing promotions are part of the ongoing “Fresh from Florida” campaign, an identification and promotional program designed to boost the image of Florida agriculture and increase sales by helping consumers to easily identify Florida-grown agricultural products at retail stores. The multimedia campaign also helps increase public awareness of the importance of Florida’s agriculture industry, which has an estimated overall economic impact of more than $62 billion annually.
For more information:
Walt Land(850) 487-8057
landw@doacs.state.fl.us
